- Most fluff fics are this to the original work they were based on, especially if it was considerably dark in tone.
- Hope for the Heartless (in which the Horned King is resurrected and half-forced on a Redemption Quest) has shades of this trope. While the Horned King was bad in the movie, the deepening of his character and past makes him less threatening over time. His Morality Pet Avalina and the comical Invisibles also countermand seriousness. In the movie there were no musicals, but now many borrowed songs (both happy and sad ones) are included. While the Horned King's past as a ruthless warlord has not been forgotten and several dark themes have been added (like the Mad Pack and Arawn), the story is overall more cheerful than the movie.
- As a whole, as stated by the authors, James' presence in Co-op Mode changes a lot of things in the setting, making it comparable to the original manwha's tone when it comes to storytelling. However, as Coil's Interlude would show, this does not mean that the grim parts of Worm are entirely gone. This can be even considered Fridge Brilliance when one realizes the parallels of the story to the manwha's own version of the Black Market.
- Children of an Elder God: Subverted. At the beginning it looks lighter and softer than canon: the characters are a bit happier and more psychologically stable, the battles against the Angels are less traumatic... and then more and more elements of the Cthulhu Mythos are introduced, and the setting becomes very dark.
- In the Darker and Edgier Crossover series Children of Time... there's the 221B series, a long string of 221-word-long drabbles. Even this series-within-a-series is not excluded from angst, but it tends toward fluffy marriage moments for Sherlock and Beth Holmes.
- There's the episode "Fractures" in the Children of Time series, a Sherlock Holmes/Doctor Who Crossover that tends to be Darker and Edgier than its parent works.
- Decks Fall Everyone Dies, a Film Fic of Moulin Rouge! using the Yu-Gi-Oh! The Abridged Series characters, tones down the Duke's character (and the depression of rest of the plot) considerably.
- Last Child of Krypton: In this setting Shinji gets Superman powers and a lesson on power and responsibility. He grows into a more idealistic, more caring and less passive person, and that different mindset and their powers let him alter events positively.
- My Little Investigations is, at the same time, Darker and Edgier than the show it takes place on and Lighter and Softer than the game it's based on (due to averting Always Murder).
- Pony Space: A My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic and Dead Space crossover, while it does have much of Dead Space's horror and the psychological effects of the Marker, Necromorphs rarely show up (twice as of 14 chapters), and it keeps much of MLP's light hearted tone.
- Superwomen of Eva 2: Lone Heir of Krypton: To canon. Asuka gets Kryptonian powers and starts out a super-heroine career. In the process she learns to be a better person, finds a cause to worth to fight for, hooks up with Shinji, and manages to avert some canon tragedies (such like Touji getting maimed or Rei blowing herself up)
- Tangled Adventures In Arendelle is one of the few K rated continuation fics for both Tangled and Frozen. While many authors try to go the route of psychological scars and political upheaval, especially for Frozen, Doctor Darth takes a much lighter hand. The fic is still mature with many distresses happening over the course of the story, but it's more in line with what's presented in the movies, with friendship, compassion and forgiveness being the most important components.
- The Bridge, a crossover between My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic and Godzilla has an odd example. While it will deal with plenty of darker moments which are much more grim than the first series usually delves into, the tone and protagonists from the kaiju side are all played much lighter than the norm for Godzilla fanfiction, such as using one of the outright heroic incarnations of Godzilla instead of a True Neutral or Chaotic Neutral version. Compared to other crossovers of the same type such as "Born of Rage" and "My Little Destoroyah", it's much lighter.
- The Little Pony Legend is definitely this to one of its sources. Not so much its My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic part but definitely more its The Legend of Korra side.
- Worm/The Wonderful 101 fanfic Wonderful crossover is somewhat happier and more optimistic than original canon "Worm" due to the changes done to the timeline and the introduction of Toku super-hero tropes played straight.
- The God Empress of Ponykind compared to Warhammer 40,000; while it has its dark moments, Equestria is not the Grimdark hellhole the Imperium is, and the heroes can score genuine victories against the Forces of Chaos. Additionally, Celestia is portrayed much more heroically and humbly than the God Emperor of Mankind, who was an Anti-Hero at best and a straight villain at worst.
- In the Crack Fic All You Need Is Love, basically Death Note the Sitcom, there are much fewer deaths of series regulars and Light/Kira is much more mentally stable in this ficverse "sticking to a diet of murderers and rapists" and doesn't jump off the slippery slope.
- A Charmed Life a Ryuk/Light romance in which Everybody Lives.
- I Won't Say the Heartwarming Death Note Christmas Special where Light and L spend Christmas with the orphans at Wammy's House.
- Skyhold Academy Yearbook, which places the various characters in a modern Boarding School High School A.U. setting, is definitely this compared to the Crapsack World that is Thedas in the games. There's considerably less death, and while there certainly is a fair bit of drama, angst, and occasional violence, it also has a lot of W.A.F.F. and plenty of comedy.
- Hans Von Hozel: "Ok so I saw a horrible scary movie call The Human Centipede and is was horrible but I make this version
where it is not so scary and of the happy ending!"
- The first PONIES The Anthology featured a content warning and even a separate clean version, while the second one was specifically designed to stay within a PG-13 level. Word of God from one of the Anthology's contributors is that this actually made them think more about what was funny versus Vulgar Humor.
- I Am NOT Going Through Puberty Again! has far more emphasis on humor than your average Peggy Sue fic. In fact, there's an author's note at the end of the first chapter noting that while other fics with a similar premise have drama, angst, and overpowered main characters plowing through their enemies, this fic has laughs, snark... and overpowered main characters plowing through their enemies.
- A Crown of Stars: It is lighter and softer than canon and the preceeding fic. Shinji and Asuka are at last given the help, council and healing time they desperately needed, and a chance to recover their families and make their world right.
- Advice and Trust: To the canon history. The story changes a specific event, and as a result Shinji and Asuka lean on each other as they endure trauma after trauma rather than isolating from each other, breaking down and imploding.
- The Child of Love: Although this story got pretty dark sometimes, it is definitely and unapologetically waffier than the original series. Shinji and Asuka have a daughter, which pushes them to try to figure out their relationship, Gendo gets arrested, and Third Impact never happens.
- Doing It Right This Time: Than canon, so far. The three Children have been sent back in time. And they have decided things will go THEIR way this time... and they will have a three-ways relationship because screw you, Unresolved Sexual Tension-fueled angst and Cannot Spit It Out-induced heartache.
- Evangelion 303: To canon. In this Alternate Universe the main characters are still full of issues, but since they are older, they are somewhat more mature and better at dealing with them.
- HERZ: The story can get pretty dark, but it is happier than canon. Third Impact was averted in 2015, and Asuka and Misato survived that battle. Twelve years later Shinji and Asuka are married, have a daughter, and the two of them together with Rei work under Misato's orders to fight SEELE's attempts to cause Instrumentality.
- Higher Learning: To canon. A new teacher starts teaching the Children. Their lessons help the three traumatized pilots to consider new possibilities and open up, leading to a better ending.
- Once More with Feeling: When he returned to the past, Shinji was determined to set his world right. His -both covert and overt- influence has had good effects so far: Touji's sister did not get crippled when he fought Sachiel, Rei is learning to make friends, Asuka trusts and respects her teammates more than in canon... Nonetheless everything can go to Hell again if he is not careful, and Shinji is well aware of it.
- The One I Love Is: A bit lighter than canon thanks to the Love Triangle between the three pilots which led to them finding some happiness and Third Impact being averted.
- Although The Second Try has plenty dark and tear-jerking moments, it's happier than canon. Shinji and Asuka learn to deal with their psychological issues, become parents, and the world is saved.
- In the AU Slightly Altered despite having some truly horrific moments, is still a LOT lighter in tone than the original series. As of Chapter 8, nobody apart from Buwaro's biological parents has died, not even Sakido. Rhea is oddly absent, though, so she may be dead.
- The rewrite of Sonic X: Dark Chaos is simultaneously both this and Darker and Edgier than the original. While there is more violence and horrific content as a whole, the darkness is balanced with much more likable characters, a stronger message of hope and redemption in the face of terror, and the power of friendship. And Black Comedy.
- Even with the darkness, it's also still Lighter and Softer compared to some of its primary influences.
- Though Tomb Raider (2013) fanfic The Camera Loves You and its sequel The Dreaming are by no means free of violence, death and Angst, they are by far lighter than the grim, gory video game itself.
- The "Daycare 'Verse", a series of Alternate Universe modern-setting X-Men: First Class Slash Fics. In it, Charles Xavier runs a daycare for mutant toddlers, and Erik Lehnsherr is his Jerk with a Heart of Gold engineer boyfriend (instead of a Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds Nazi Hunter-turned-terrorist). Instead of Fantastic Racism and imminent nuclear war, the main hazards in the characters' current lives seem to be annoying coworkers and getting set on fire by a mutant preschooler with Power Incontinence issues.
